Carnforth one of county's most popular places to visit as record numbers holiday in Lancashire

The holiday let rental agency analysed booking figures for its 20,000 properties across the UK, with Carnforth, Clitheroe, Blackpool, and Lytham proving to be Lancashire’s most popular travel spots.

Meanwhile, bookings to the North West increased by 44% last year versus pre-pandemic and were up 40% in 2021 compared to 2019.

Further analysis, conducted by Oxford Economics on behalf of Sykes Holiday Cottages and The Short Term Accommodation Association (STAA), has also revealed the estimated economic impact of short-term holiday lets across the UK over the last few years.

The amount of money spent by those visiting short-term holiday lets in the North West reached a record £1.5 billion in 2021, with tourists typically spending a total of more than 7.3 million nights in short-term accommodation across the region each year.

As a result, the short-stay tourism industry injected £1.8 billion into the North West’s economies in 2021 alone, including via spending with local companies, job creation and tax revenues.

This economic impact represented 0.9% of the area’s entire Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2021.

More than 32,500 people throughout the North West are now employed in jobs linked to the short-term let industry – whether that’s directly as hosts or in restaurants or tourist attractions.

In total, the short-term let industry contributed £27.7 billion to UK GDP in 2021.

Graham Donoghue, chief executive of Sykes Holiday Cottages, said: “With the popularity of staycations not expected to subside anytime soon, there’s every reason to believe that the positive economic impact of short-term lets within Lancashire will remain equally strong in the years to come.

“The industry supports local jobs and pours in millions of pounds of guest spend annually, with visitors opting to eat at local independent pubs and restaurants, explore little-known tourist attractions, and spend their money on holiday souvenirs.

“We’ve made it our mission to ensure the sustainable growth of the sector. This includes working closely with stakeholders, including holiday-homeowners, to ensure properties are let in a responsible way that benefits local communities, instead of second homes laying empty.”

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